A NEW ERA OF AUTOMATION

Energy savings as a result of smart HVAC systems support sustainability, reduce operational costs, and improve occupant comfort

As concerns surrounding global warming and the future of our planet increase, a growing consciousness of our own environmental impact has emerged. As a result, both individuals and organisations are making concerted efforts to adopt greener solutions and more sustainable practices. Governments and industry leaders are now placing sustainability at the heart of initiatives for urban development, a trend we are noticing markedly in the Middle East.

In the UAE for example, the government has outlined a strategy to achieve a 70% reduction in the country’s carbon footprint by 2050. Saudi Arabia has announced even more ambitious plans of reaching zero-net emissions by 2060. The Crown Prince pledged to cut carbon emissions by over 270 million tons per year as part of the Saudi Green Initiative.

These challenging objectives come as a result of energy consumption in the Middle East growing faster than GDP since 1980. The energy consumption rates of countries in this region are amongst some of the highest in the world, fuelled by rapid population growth, fastpaced infrastructure developments and the growth of energy-intensive industries.

In response to climbing energy consumption rates, on both a global and regional scale, a new era of smart technology has emerged: the smart building. Powered by product innovation and intelligent automation, smart buildings use technology to enable the efficient and economical consumption of resources in a building, all while creating a safe and comfortable environment for occupants.

Such advancements have the potential to significantly reduce a city’s carbon footprint and support widescale sustainability. Building facilities actually represent a major portion of energy consumption within the built environment, responsible for about 40% of energy usage, and a similar proportion

of greenhouse gas emissions. Since HVAC systems account for 35% of a building’s total energy consumption, they too are key to determining environmental impact.

Approximately 5% of a HVAC system’s lifetime carbon footprint can be traced to the manufacturing of components. The remaining 95% comes from energy usage during the operating life of the equipment. The greatest opportunity for maximising efficiency and reducing carbon footprint therefore lies in improving performance deficiencies that commonly occur over time.

When first installed, and even in the first few months, HVAC systems operate immaculately. As time progresses, however, component efficiency and system conditions ‘drift’ away from the original levels of performance. This is known as performance drift and ultimately leads to energy waste, high operating costs and higher greenhouse gas emissions. As performance drift continues, the deteriorating system performance may also begin to affect occupant comfort by decreasing overall system efficiency and increasing the risk of failures.

Unfortunately, many facilities operators accept the loss of efficiency as inevitable. However, in my experience with Armstrong Fluid Technology, performance drift can in fact be prevented, and even reversed. By combining intelligent strategies with high-performance systems, the way buildings operate can be transformed. The key is to a comprehensive understanding of the energy needs of the building in order to deliver improved performance and optimised energy consumption. Using this ‘smarter’ approach, HVAC system technology within the last decade has been enhanced to deliver up to 70% energy efficiency savings compared to traditional systems.

And so the question remains, how can we assess the energy demand of specific buildings?

This is where Active Performance Management services, such as Pump Manager by Armstrong Fluid Technology, come in. The software collects data using cloud-based technology and embedded intelligence to deliver insights that lead to informed decisions and immediate actions. Active Performance Management provides real-time and historical data that can be relayed to variable speed pumps. These smart pumps automatically adjust equipment operation and match system demand. Innovations such as this enable pumps to operate at optimum levels based on demand to consume as little energy as possible. By consuming energy more intelligently, we can reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and also save a considerable amount in terms of operational costs.

The Pump Manager subscription service can be integrated into new systems, or retrofitted to upgrade existing systems. Adding these capabilities to your HVAC systems provides valuable insights for building managers and operators. Beyond optimising energy efficiency, the software also helps to create safer and more comfortable indoor environments through predictive maintenance. The early detection of issues as soon as they arise helps to prevent escalation to the point of systematic failures or disruptions, protecting occupant comfort at all times.

Building operators may hesitate to upgrade HVAC systems since more sophisticated technology requires investment; however, the returns from using more efficient systems are impressive. While simple payback on these systems is usually reached within 5 years, energy savings can continue for the life of the system. The overall result is a productive and comfortable indoor environment for occupants and an efficient, lower cost facility for operators.

The extent of energy savings can be demonstrated by La Ronda chocolate factory in Dubai. Armstrong Fluid Technology provided a holistic approach to support sustainability within the facility, through the installation of variable speed pumps, capable of achieving savings of up to 90% compared to traditional constant speed systems, and Pump Manager. In just three months post-installation, the plant saved 118,355 kWh of energy, resulting in a cost reduction of $14,633.

High-performing, technologicallyadvanced systems not only lower energy consumption to reduce carbon footprint, they also require less maintenance and deliver a lower risk of failure, offering greater support for both people, and our planet. In this sense, when it comes to optimising buildings for energy efficiency, the short-term costs are significantly outweighed by the longterm benefits.

The era of automation and smart solutions is upon us and the time has come to ensure our buildings are smarter than ever to support the region’s vision for a greener future. The choice for building owners is to adapt or fall behind. They must actively seek to understand available equipment choices, and how these choices determine the fate of their property: as a leading exemplar in energy efficiency, or as its poorly performing, unsustainable counterpart.

BUILDING OPERATORS MAY HESITATE TO UPGRADE HVAC SYSTEMS SINCE MORE SOPHISTICATED TECHNOLOGY REQUIRES INVESTMENT; HOWEVER, THE RETURNS FROM USING MORE EFFICIENT SYSTEMS ARE IMPRESSIVE.

Pump Manager by Armstrong Fluid Technology.